In this review, I will discuss Juliette H. Walma van der Molen’s journal article entitled “Violence and Suffering in Television News: Toward a Broader Conception of Harmful Television Content for Children”. This journal is about the potential harmful of television news content for children. Juliette argues that not only entertainment programs but also news program can affect the children. Having summarized the journal, I claim that the way the writer explains the topic is clear enough because she has already mentioned some ways to both prevent and reassure for this condition.
However, it should be supplemented with a more depth discussion of the potential negative outcomes real violence that is shown directly in news program. In conclusion, I shall show that this journal is good to read as it is well-organized and easily understood. In the Introduction, the authors of this journal article said that survey research has shown that about one quarter of US children have a television set in their own bedroom and some homes turn on the television all day.
She argue that with the rise of television channels and Internet services and with growing the television programming to report on “breaking news stories” children of all ages may be regularly faced distressing and violent accounts of murders, catastrophic accidents, war, and other suffering. I agree with it because as I know that almost every home in my village also has a television. Perhaps only 1 or 2 homes which are not have it. They might argue that all the programs on television can make enjoyable especially when the turn of entertainment program.
In addition, they do not realize that the news program almost show around the clock. While the children change the channel, it is possible that the children face the news program unexpectedly such as shooting, kidnapping etc. The author said that violence in television news has the same impact on children as violence portrayed in fictional television because they are becoming increasingly sensational and graphic. I agree with her statement, if both television news and fictional television give the big negative impact on children.
However, the author does not provide any argument to reinforce that statement. In my opinion, to make this journal more perfect she should provide some the result studies of the expert about the impact of fictional television on children. Thus, the readers do not curious what are the impacts of fictional television on children because this journal only focuses on the potential harmful of television news content for children. Without some evidence from the study that relate with this problem, it makes the statement unclear.
The author argued that in the case of news content, including the emotionally hurtful outcomes is important because research has shown that not only the physical consequences, such as blood or dead bodies, but also the emotional results, such as people screaming or crying, may seriously affect children, both types of consequences should be included when identifying harmful news content for children. I agree with it because as I know there are some certain children usually fear when look at the blood; it indicates that this point of view should be mentioned in identifying the harmful of news content for children.
On the other hand, there are children who have a big sensitivity. If there is person who is crying about something she or he also feel sad and follow him. The author of this journal article said that as the children grow up, they should be aware of problems in the world around them. Pediatricians are in good position to inform parents, educators, policy makers, and broadcasters of the potential harmful effects of violent news and to suggest ways to increase children’s understanding of such news information.
Parents should monitor their children’s news consumption. I strongly agree with the author argument because to decrease the harmful of violent news need a big help from the people who directly involved on children development. If the one of side do not take his duty well, it could not run properly based on the real need of the children. For instance, if the parents do not monitor well what their children watch is, it could not decrease this problem. In this review I have discussed the journal article of Juliette H.
Walma van der Molen’s entitled “Violence and Suffering in Television News: Toward a Broader Conception of Harmful Television Content for Children”. Juliette’s article covers several point, they are the potential effect, a broader conception of media violence, and the prevention and reassurance. I have argued that while she is right that with the rise of television channels and Internet services and with growing the television programming to report on “breaking news stories” children of all ages may be regularly faced distressing and violent accounts of murders, catastrophic accidents, war, and other suffering.
This does not mean that we forbid the children to watching television news. We just suggest some ways to increase children’s understanding of such news information. Thus, the children can get only the important information of the news content. Further development and discussion of this problem especially in the US is needed to advance research on these matters.
